Suction cleaner



S. R. CUMMINGS SUCTION CLEANER Oct. 12, 1937.

Filed May 24, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1- INVENTOR flail/ 1 12600202149; 5.1M

ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1937. s. R. CUMMINGS SUCTION CLEANER Filed ma 24, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 5101119 12 d'ummilys J swa ATTO RNEY Oct. 12, 1937.

S. R. CUMMINGS SUCTION CLEANER Filed May 24, p34

a Sheets-Shet s INVENTOR JlanlqyRCummi/ys ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 1937 ICE SUCTION CLEANER Stanley R. Cummings, Canton, Ohio, fisignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application my 24, 1934, Serial No. 727,220

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and particularly to new and novel improvements in means to reduce the noise of cleaner operation. More specifically the invention comprises a suction cleaner in which no relative movement takes. place between the cleaner exhaust outlet, the cleaner dust bag, the cleaner handle, and a rigid muiiier element,

It is an object of the present invention to provide'a new and improved suction cleaner.

It is another object of the invention to provide a suction cleaner which operates with a minimum .of noise. A still-further object is the provision of a-suction cleaner having a mufiier which extends. within the cleaner dust bag and which expands therein. It is another object of the invention to provide a muiiierin a suction cleaner, the muffler being provided with an auxiliary outletto permit heavy, particles which" 0 will not travel the. complete length of the muiller to fall therethrough into the .dust bag. These and other more specific objects will ap ear upon reading the following specification and claims, and upon considering in connection therewith 25 the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention, certain parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is a partial side view of the cleaner with the and muilier unit removed there-,

from;

Figure 3 is a front elevation certain parts being broken away, of the body of the cleaner shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is the cross-section through the- Figure 10 is a section through the muiiier of Figure 8 upon the line l0ll|;

Figure 11 is a section throughthe muiiier element of Figure 8 upon the line ll-I I; 1

upon the line 55 the manner of removing" cleaning air through the cleaner.

Noise of operation is an important factor in cleaner operation. In the suction cleaner constructed in accordance-with the present invention means have been provided to reduce the noise created by* the high speed passage of These means comprise'an elongated expanding muiller which is secured, either removably or permanently, at the exhaust outlet of the cleaner and which extends within the cleaner dustbag. The use of this type of cleaner muffler is made possible by combining it with a new and novel cleaner construction in which no relative movementtakes place between the cleaner handle and the cleaner dust bag, regardless of the angular position of the handle.

Referring again to the drawings, and to Fig-- ures 1 to 5 inclusive, in particular, a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed. The cleaner nozzle I is mounted upon a frame which is supported by spaced pairs of front and rear wheels 2, 2 and 3, 3, respectively. The driving motor 4 is positioned with its'axis parallel to the nozzle Land its shaft carries at one end a pulley 5, and at its opposite end a suction-creating fan 6. A power-transmitting belt 1 connects the pulley 5 to a rotating agitator 8 within the nozzle I, while the fan 6 is effective, in the operation of the cleanerytoereate a reduced pressure in nozzle I through being directly connected thereto. The combination motor casing and fan chamber lcarries the motor 4 and fan 6' and is itself rotatable about the motor axis through being provided with sealed bearings I 0 and -l l' at its opposite ends on the rearwardly-extending side channels of the nozzle I. The exhaust outlet I! of the fan chamber is formed rigidly on the casing 9 and is provided at its end with a flange and bag-clamping means iii.

The handle of the cleaner is indicated by the reference character l4 and is rigidly'connected to the casing 9, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The incoming current leads l5 enter handle I4 near SEPT 1942- its upper end and are connected; through a man- Y on the flanged outer end of the exhaust outlet I! and to be secured thereto in sealedrelationship by the manually operable bag-clamping means I3. The open-upper end of the bag is folded and held in a closed and sealed relationship by means of an enclosing U-sh aped chanmetallic casing 22 and an inner liner or sleeve 23 of sound-absorbing material such as felt or sponge rubber which extends substantially the entire length of the outer body 22. At the end of the expanded muiiier 2|, which is clearly shown in Figure 4 to increase in cross-sectional area from the ring l8 toits outer end, is a collapsible valve '25, preferably of cloth or fabric. Valve functions, in the operation of the machine, to prevent, by collapsing to close the end of the mufller, the return into the muifler of foreign matter by 'an air current set up by the bag back pressure when the suction-creating means or fan has ceased to rotate at the 'end of a cleaning operation. I v

The operation of the cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention is easily understood. With the machine positioned upon the surface covering which is to be cleaned, the closing of the switch |6 by the operator causes the motor 4 to rotate pulley 5 and the suctioncreating fan 6. Pulley 5 transmits its rotating torque through the belt I to the agitator 8 within the nozzle, and the suction-creating fan 6 withdraws air from the nozzle and exhausts it end, the mufller serves to reduce the 'noise-creating vibration in the air exhausted from the cleaner. Because the handle, the exhaust outlet, the bag and the'motor casing pivot as a unit about the axis of the motor'4, no relative movement takes place therebetween. This relationship is essential as rigid mufller 2| must be relatively long in order to be efficient and if the cleaner were of the usual type in which handle |4 pivots relative to the body of the machine and the bag bends aboutits point of attachment to the cleaner 'body as the handle pivots, it would not be feasible to use the elongated muffler element.-

Upon the use of the machine for a reasonable length of time, it becomes necessary for the bag H to be cleaned and the foreign matter removed therefrom. To accomplish this operation it is necessary only to remove manually the bag ring |8 from the securing means l3, l3 and to detach the upper end of the bag from the supporting channel IS. The bag at its upper end can then be pulled down over theTmuffler into a reversed relationship in which the interior of the-bag is exposed and the foreign matter can then be removed. p

Referring now to Figures 6 and '7, a second preferred embodiment of the' invention is dis closed. In this embodiment the muiiler is indicated by the reference character 26 and is secured integrally to theexhaust outlet 2 of the cleaner by means of rivets 21, 21. The muiiler again comprises an outer casing of metal 28 and an inner sleeveof sound-deadening material 29, the casing, as in the first embodiment,

increasing in cross-sectional area from'the exhaust outlet proper |2 to its end. At its upper end the mufller is provided with a. seat 3|lwhich is adapted to receive and seat an enclosing bag ring 3| through a bayonet pin and groove rela tionship. The dust bag 32 is open to the interior 'of the muiiier through the bag ring 3| and a bag valve 33 of the flexible fabric type is carried by and is removable with the ring. According to the presentembodiment the bag 32 telescopes downwardly and encloses the muiller 26 being provided with'a second lower bag ring 34 at a a point adjacent the outer end of the exhaust outlet serve to seat and lock the ring 34 in place. This construction has the advantage that the bag may be removed without removing the muffler by disconnecting the two bag rings. 84 and 3|. The upper end of the bag is supported from the cleaner handle as in the first embodiment.

Referring now to Figures 8 to 11, inclusive, a third preferred embodiment of the inventionis disclosed. 1According to this embodiment of the invention the muflier comprises an outer metallic l sleeve 33 which is again flxedlysecured by-rivets 39, 39 to a bag ring (Ill. The dust bag, which is indicated by the reference character 4|, encloses the muiiier and is also secured to the bag ring 40. As in' the previous embodiments, an inner lining 42 of sound-deadening material is provided which extends the entire length of the muffler which is again of the expanding type. Also, as in the previous embodiments, a flexible fabric valve 43 to prevent movement of air in the wrong direction in the muiiler is provided at the'end thereof.

In the present-embodiment of the invention, however,'an escape leak opening 44 is provided in outer metallic casing and sound-deadening material. Pocket 46 is formed rigidly on the muflier 31 being attached thereto by rivets 41, 41 and is so shaped. that its main portion is spaced from and faces the opening 44 to provide a downwar facing opening.

In the operation of a cleaner embodying this last embodiment of the invention the muiller functions, as in the previous embodiments, to

reduce the noise created by the high velocity air flow. The muflier is often. positioned at a considerable angle to the vertical, as indicated in Figures 6 and 7 showing the second embodiment, I

and at such times-heavy particles of foreign matter may fail to reach the .top of the muiller to ente the bag proper and instead return to the interior of the machine itself. In-the muiller constructed in accordance with the present in-. vention, these heavy particles rolling down the. bottom of the muiiler fall through theopening' 44, or are deflected therethrough by the deflectors 45, 45, and into the pocket 46. These particles then fall from the open-end of the pocket into the lower end of the dust bag.

I claim: 1. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, rotary suctioncreatinsmeans connected to said movable withrespectthereto about its axis of not I- tion,adustbagconnectedtotheexhaustoisaid suction-creating means, an elongated expanding muiilerconnected directly to the exhaust of said suction-creating means and open at its'expanded end to, said dust bag, and a handle connected to 7 said suction-creating means and supportingsaid dust bag, said suction-creating means, said has and muiiler, and said handle pivoting as a unit relative to said nonle.

- 2. In asuction cleaner including suction-creat ing means, an elongated metal tube connected'to the exhaust of said means, said tube expanding in cross sectional area from said exhaust to the opposite end. and a lining of sound-absorbing material in said tube. said tube and said lining iunctioni'ng as a muiller to reduce vibration in cleaning air exhausted tbereinto by said suctioncreating means.

4. Inasuctioncleanensuctionereatingmeantadust bag,anexpandingaireonveyingconduit absorbing including vibration means connected to the exhaust outlet at said suction creating meanstoconveyair intosaiddustbag.

,5. In a suction cleaner, suction creating means. adustbagremovablyconnectedtossidmeam. and an air conveying conduit including vibration absorbing means positioned in said bag to conduct air from said'exhaust into said has. said 0 conduit increasing in crol-sectiomi area'trom said exhaust.v 6.Inasuctioncleaner,abodyincludingliction-creating means, an air-conveying tube rigidly attsclied-to said-meansand expandinginvcrosb sectionalareairom said means,adustbagremovably secured to the outerend or said tube and pted to receive air exhausted therefrom, said bag telescopically enclosing said tube and being removably secured to said body ner endoisaidtube. I

7. The construction recited in the preceding claim in which said tube includes sound-absorbing material. 1

8; The construction recited in the second precedingclaiminwhichsaidbaglssecuredtosaid body by a ring of diameter larger'than the diameter oi the outer end oi'said tube to permit its ent thereover. v

9. Ina suctioncleaner muiller, an elongated expanding metallic tube forming a passageway for air-exhausted from a cleaner, a sound-deadening lining of sponge rubber insidesald tube exposed'directiytoaiiow ofairtherethrough.

10. In a suction cleaner, a nosfle, rotary sucadjacent the intion-creating means connected to said' male and, removable with respectthereto about its axis of rotation, is dust bag connected to the exhaust or said suction-creating means, an elongated expanding tube connected directly to the exhaust of said suction-creating means and open at its expanded end'to said dust bag, and a handle eonnected to said suction-creatingmeans and porting said dust. bag, said suction-creating means, said bag and tube, and said handle pivoting as a unit relative to said nosfle.

1i. Inasuction cleaner, the combination o! suction-creating means having an exhaust outlet. a tubular member-forming a sound reduc-- ing extension at said outlet and having an acape,

pening adiacent said outlet and adapted to permit the passage oil particles or ioreign material tberethrough,and adirtbagenclosing said tubularmemberandcommunicatingwithsaidoutiet g hroushtheopen'endandsaideseapeopening s'ramxrncuminne. 

